Childfree Christmas plans

[LoobyDop]

Please note that this is a thread on the Childfree board, for non-parents to discuss their lives. It is a not an invitation for parents to provide judgment, or tell us about your family Christmas plans- you have the rest of the site for that.

So I’d love to hear about your beautiful and carefully themed decorations, plans for parties from sophisticated to messy, your own personal shopping wishlist, and itinerary for time off work that doesn’t need to involve end of life care or intercontinental travel.

No family left so just DH and I. We don't do presents and have a pact with our friends to do experiences rather than presents, so in the run up to Christmas there's no shopping for expensive tat that nobody wants. Instead December is full of meeting up with friends for lovely Christmas music events, recitals, theatre, galleries, drinks and meals.

We fill the house with decorations, candles and fairy lights and have Classic FM on to fill the house with Christmas music.

On Christmas day DH and I go out for a very long walk and birdwatching (our hobby) with flasks of coffee and a feast of a picnic. Nobody else around, just us, peace, nature, wildness and isolation.

Home in the evening to light the fire, put a home made (the day before) lasagne in the oven and then snuggle up in our PJs with a bottle of wine and a good film. After a lifetime of fitting in with the requirements of family who wanted Christmas their way or the highway it is a breath of fresh air.

This is a wonderful thread. So many lovely days planned.

For me the best thing about Christmas is not having to speak to another living soul except my DH, ideally for at least a week.

We've picked out the things we love about Christmas and left the rest behind. We have a tree (has to be real) and like a PP I go all out on the Christmas smells with candles and cinnamon sticks. Christmas morning we have presents, then if the weather is ok we go for a local walk (well, "walk" because I'll be in my wheelchair). We live in a tiny, very picturesque village, where a lot of houses have beautiful wreaths and I especially love it if I can see their tree lights through their windows (not staring in, that would be weird). Sometimes we take a picnic lunch with a flask of something hot or a bottle of something cold and fizzy. Then we usually watch a couple of films before dinner, which is just something we fancy. We make cocktails and we laugh a lot and it's just a lovely, stress free day.

I am lurking on this thread as I do not match the criteria but thank you for finding me my dad's Christmas present!

https://www.ocado.com/products/chivas-regal-scotch-whisky-blending-kit-489948011

It's small but it's fun

@SeaPool sounds divine.

@SeaPool , just sheer bliss from start to finish! I think lasagne sounds wonderful for Christmas dinner ☺️

Do you go for the long walk and picnic no matter what the weather?

I'm off work from 22nd December until 8th January 🥳

I'll spend Christmas day with my parents, grandparents, sister and her children. We'll be at her house do the kids can still play with their new toys (and my dinner will be cooked for me). I'll meet up with various friends between Christmas and New Year.

Other than that, I'll be making use of off peak times at the gym and relaxing.

I adore Christmas. I like to add random things to the tree and see if DH notices. This year it's this

Snap.

I'm the Grinch who stole Christamas.
Over the years I've gone to family, friends to spend Christmas, but for the last couple of years I've put my foot down and said I'll be spending Christamas alone.

Of course, I get huge guilt trips and everyone saying they feel sad for me that I'm alone. But I want to be alone 😁
I spend all sodding year with my family and friends , I just want 1 day I can be left alone
Its mad how a lot of people get very cross with me about this.

I put a wreath on the door, to pretend I'm "Christamassy" to the neighbours.
And I'll watch Die Hard, because there a couple of christamas tunes.
But other than that, no Christmas for me. Just a day of rest. Bliss

My husband and I alternate spending Christmas with family v. doing something different. Last year we spent Christmas Day in Bangkok, exploring temples and eating street food, which was amazing!

So this year will be more traditional - we're heading back to my parents and doing all the traditional stuff - opening presents, playing board games, eating far too much, drinking Baileys etc.

Yes Poinsettias are lovely. Not expensive yet really adds that festive feeling.

My family are getting together for a weekend in a holiday cottage in December. Turns out that this is a really good solution to the problem of nobody having both the space and the energy to host. One thing I’m wondering though- if you stay in a holiday let around Christmas, do they usually have a tree and decorations up? Or is that a bit much to hope for?

I think you would have to ask if they have it decorated. I would not asaume ao and would bring few of my bits

@Lottapianos yes we do go whatever the weather. We're both outdoor types so don't really mind and the colder and wetter the weather the more blissful our cosy evening feels.

I'm so enjoying this thread. It's wonderful that so many of us can do Christmas our way.

'yes we do go whatever the weather'

Good for you @SeaPool . I do love a walk but I'm a wimp in the rain! 😁

I love the fact that it’s clear here that there are so many different ways to enjoy Christmas when you don’t have children. It’s proof that it really isn’t all about them, and also reassurance for those who wanted them and can’t that Christmas can still be just as happy, relaxing, riotous or chaotic without them.

It’s proof that it really isn’t all about them

It's about kids only now in consumer society tbh. Midwinter festivals were always about gathering , fires, feasts and... Yeah... sacrifice and orgies so...
Well anyway, it was always about pulling together through rest of the winter. In many places parts of livestock was killed about that time due to lack of feed so feast time. People brought greenery in to connect with nature. Usually community event all around.
I think it's lovely when everyone makes their best time out of it. Whether that's with family or chilling by themselves, it's when most thimgs shut down and basically only day when most people have off like this. Was my DH's only actual set day off for years.

We ‘arranged’ for our adult children to be ‘elsewhere’…😆

And spent a gorgeous and very Christmassy week, in a super hotel, complete with spa and complimentary wine and cheese evenings, in Budapest.
Christmas markets, carols in the Basilica, steam baths….

It was PERFECT!

We ‘arranged’ for our adult children to be ‘elsewhere’…😆

So you're not childfree, are you. You're parents. Which is not what this board is about

But she is essentially free of her children over Christmas which is kind of the point. Don’t get me wrong it’s really annoying on a childfree thread when parents pipe up with unwarranted advice but this isn’t the case here. I think you’re being a bit precious.

We go away to the seaside for Christmas with our adult daughter. We Will have a walk on the beach after champagne and smoked salmon Beigels for breakfast. We will have a vegetarian wellington with all the trimmings for lunch and are only doing small, token presents. One year we sat and binge watched re-runs of Criminal Minds all day. We won’t put up the tree or decorations at home. Sometimes our hosts decorate our accommodation, or ask if we want it decorated. As you can tell, we really aren’t fussed any more about Christmas.

If you could see the thread going on in site stuff, and all the other threads here which get piled on by parents questioning our very legitimacy, you might understand why some of us are a wee bit tetchy about people not in our position joining a simple discussion which really, just this once, isn’t for or about them.

@ForfarFourEastFifeFive oh I do totally understand. I’m very happily childfree and fed up of the unsolicited advice dished out by “parents” who know best. But on this occasion I don’t think the PP was doing that.

We have children but they’re adults now. Spending it with them this year but are planning a Northern Lights cruise, the two of us, next Christmas. Have wanted to go for decades.

@MrsSkylerWhite however further to my last post, your post in response to a “what are your plans for a childfree Christmas” on a childfree forum - I’m spending it with my children - is frankly ridiculous!